Amazon Are Heading To South East Asia

Internet trading company Amazon have made their first venture into South East Asia, offering their "Prime" service in Singapore.

With 600 million people living in the region, Amazon are keen to get a share of the market but to succeed, they have have to take on Chinese rivals Alibaba.

Their new service will offer a two hour delivery service on a multitude of items, including electronics and even groceries.

There are a number of alternatives available in Asia, most of which are owned by Alibaba. Lazada and Redmart being two examples.

Prime was first launched in the USA back in 2014, offering its service to those who committed to an annual subscription. Singapore will be exempt from the annual fee, as Amazon strive to get their new service up and running.

Members will be able to purchase electronics, toys, food, sports wear and much more but initial reports say they will not receive their video streaming service, Amazon Echo or books, although that could change in the future.

The company are already operating in Japan and India, where they have seen success, which in turn sees them attempt to crack the wider Asian market.

Singapore may be an easy nut to crack but making it work in Thailand would be a whole different ball game, due to infrastructure and and the logistics involved. However, most would like to see Amazon available in the Kingdom, especially expats.

At the end of the day, it is the customer who will benefit should Amazon succeed with their plans, as prices would become even more competitive.

Source: BBC News